Oliver Solberg and Hayden Paddon finished the first day of the BAUHAUS Royal Scandinavia Rally with a difference of just 3.3 seconds after nine thrilling stages in the FIA European Rally Championship round in Sweden.
Paddon, the current ERC champion from BRC Racing Hyundai i20 N Rally2 team, took the lead after setting the fastest time in the BAUHAUS mixed super special stage on Thursday night. Despite maintaining his advantage after SS2, Solberg, a Swedish driver in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, advanced in SS3 with a 3.1-second lead.
Paddon managed to reduce the gap to 1.4 seconds with two consecutive wins before the midday service break in Karlstad. However, Solberg responded by setting the fastest time in SS6, extending his lead to 2.6 seconds.
In SS7, Solberg encountered heavy rain, allowing Paddon to get within just 1.3 seconds behind as they headed towards the repeat of the Colins stage, with the famous Colin’s Crest jump. While Paddon achieved a 44-meter jump, the best of the rally, Solberg was 1.1 seconds faster, giving him a 2.4-second advantage for the last stage of the day. Solberg secured his lead by beating Paddon’s time by just 0.9 seconds in the 12.09-kilometer race, resulting in a Pirelli one-two finish.
“The times are incredibly close, and every difference matters,” commented Solberg. “I thought I had damage to the rear left for a while [in SS9], but it was just very loose, with a lot of rocks, which made it challenging. I wasn’t completely satisfied with the feeling today, but the competition is fierce. I believe the car will perform better on the roads tomorrow, allowing us to push a little harder.”
“We were pushing hard,” said Paddon. “We know that when the terrain gets rough, it doesn’t favor this car as much, so we were trying not to lose too much time. It was difficult, but the larger loose stones were more problematic than the additional ditches. We were giving our best, and tomorrow should be more favorable for us than today.”
Leadership positions after Friday:
1. Solberg / E Edmondson Škoda Fabia RS 41min 21.9s
2. H Paddon / J Kennard Hyundai i20 N Rally2 +3.3s
3. M Heikkilä / K Temonen Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +12.7s
4. M Franceschi / A Malfoy Škoda Fabia RS +16.9s
5. M Sesks / R Francis Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +20s
6. F Larsen / L Lundgren Volkswagen Polo GTI +21.7s
